The 2016 NewsFront series on the war in the Donbass, Eastern Ukraine, is the antidote to the 2014 Vice series on the conflict. If you had watched the original Vice ‘documentary’ episodes, you would have consumed a large dose of US State Department propaganda, produced with an almost unlimited amount of resources. However, with the help of independent donations, NewsFront were able to create their own series which counters the US faux-narrative. This 2016 episode focuses on Commander Givi, Mikhail Tolstykh, and his Battalion, “Somali”. Undefeated in battle, Givi was murdered via an act of terrorism, in his office in Donetsk, on February 8th 2017.(Translation thanks to Inessa Sinchougova)

The leaders of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics (DPR and LPR) held a press conference in Lugansk on Friday in a display of unity against Kiev putschists and to discuss areas of Donbass that are under the control of Kiev’s forces.

Igor Plotnitsky, Head of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (Russian):“I want to say that we have never considered and will not consider temporarily occupied territories as lost for us. Those [areas] are our homeland, they are our native people, and they are temporarily under the occupation of fascist Ukraine, because today that is the regime that exists in Ukraine, as they decided, and by right, is called fascism”.

Igor Plotnitsky, Head of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (Russian):“We invite all our citizens, we have not forgotten about you. You do not have the February 23 holiday; you do not have the May 9 holiday. Come to us, you will have an opportunity to celebrate those old holidays with us that were historically formed in our land, on our territory, in the Russian world”.

Alexander Zakharchenko, Head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (Russian):“Our brothers and sisters are there on that territory, and this message is to them, first of all. We have not forgotten about them, we remember our debt to Kramatorsk, Lisichansk. We remember our friends and brothers that were killed on the battlefields in those years. We remember hundreds, thousands of tortured people that were accused of separatism and terrorism”.

Igor Plotnitsky, Head of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (Russian):“There are no contradictions between the LPR and DPR. We do not have any of the problems they put on us. And actually, you should trust official sources, not gossip that goes around”.

Alexander Zakharchenko, Head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (Russian):“I think that world leaders, and especially in Europe, will start thinking about this, and I think that in the next few hours a big brain-storming session is going to start there, that will allow us to decide on something in four days”.

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko is playing a desperate poker game in which he is gambling his political future with an all-out war in Europe. In a scene reminiscent of an old Hollywood B-movie Western, Poroshenko appears like a washed-up gunslinger with a lousy hand of cards who is bluffing with empty bravado.
However, the difference is Poroshenko is no gunslinger. And this is not fiction. It is grim reality where lives are suffering from his poker games.

He is a billionaire chocolate oligarch who along with his cronies in Kiev have driven their country into ruins. If a war breaks out, these effete, self-dealing elites will not be doing the fighting. They will find some luxury exile from where to spend their embezzled loot.
… … …
According to Eduard Basurin, the vice commander of the DPR, as quoted in Fort Russ: “Following the talk between Poroshenko and Trump, Ukraine will in the near future cease to receive financial and military support for its terrorist operation in the land of Donbass. In connection with this, the Ukrainian president has fallen into complete despair and is ready to desperately commit to the most reckless action of unleashing a full-scale and bloody war in Eastern Europe.”……………………..

Prominent DPR Commander ‘Givi’ ~ The legendary commander of the Somali battalion of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Mikhail Tolstykh, popular with his nickname “Givi” has been killed in his office in Donetsk.

The first reports from Russian media have suggested that an explosive detonated and killed Givi. The DPR officials have labeled it as a “terrorist act” and that they’ll do everything possible to find the ones behind the assault. The news comes as the self-proclaimed republics of DPR and LPR have been witnessing the largest military activities since the signing of the Minsk-2 agreement.

Givi is yet another victim of such assault as earlier this week LPR’s colonel Oleg Anashtenko died in a similar case when his car was blown up. In October 2016, another legendary commander, Aresen Pavlov “Motorola”, was killed in an explosion in his home.

A terrorist attack in the capital of the Lugansk People’s Republic in Donbass killed two people including the chief of the LPR People’s Militia Office. Confirmed the death of colonel Anashchenko, classifying the explosion as a terrorist attack.

On October 16, a blast in an elevator killed a prominent commander of the Donetsk People’s Republic colonel Arseniy Pavlov (call sign Motorola). The Donetsk authorities accused Kiev of masterminding the murder.

In May, a top military commander of the Lugansk People’s Republic, Alexei Mozgovoi, was assassinated by unknown gunmen when his car ran into an ambush……………

Zaitsevo village, is caught between the opposing sides. As hostilities between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) continue, the locals sleep to the sound of gunfire and use their cellars and basements as bomb shelters. They say they simply have nowhere else to go, so they continue to live in this no man’s land, where near constant shelling puts their lives in the line every day.

Among Zaitsevo’s residents is 7-year-old Masha, she lives with her family, 4 generations of women, her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. They all grew up here and consider the village their home, a place where families are so deeply rooted that moving away to become refugees is unthinkable. They have no choice but to do the best they can to try and maintain a measure of normality in life. Windows have to be left open so they aren’t shattered by explosions. The Internet provides their only contact with neighbours for local news and mutual support.

Masha attends her first grade classes every day, even though her school has twice been hit by artillery fire. To find calm when the shelling starts, she plays with her puppy and has learned to fit her daily schedule around the regular bombardment. Her fondest dream is that, one day, the war will end.

The Kiev government provoked the latest escalation of violence in east Ukraine as it needs money from its Western partners, which is easier to achieve when a nation pretends to be a victim and facing aggression, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

“The Ukrainian leadership today needs money, and the best way to extort money is [to do that] from the European Union, from certain countries in Europe, from the United States and international institutions, presenting itself as a victim of aggression,”Putin said.

“As we know, the current Ukrainian government took a one-sided position to support one of the candidates during the election campaign in the US,”he said.

“What’s more, some [Ukrainian] oligarchs were even financing this candidate – or female candidate to be more precise – likely with approval from the government.

“Now they want to improve relations with the current administration and also using a conflict – it is always better, always more convenient, easier to draw in the new administration in solving the Ukrainian problems and thus establish some kind of dialogue.”“The Ukrainian opposition has been more active amid clear [government] failures in the economic area and social policy,”Putin said.

“I think that the current Ukrainian leadership is not ready at all to apply the Minsk agreements and is looking for a reason to refuse their implementation.”

The Russian leader made the comments during a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest. (…read more…)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban are holding a joint news conference following their talks in Budapest, Hungary. According to Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, talks are to focus on “developing economic ties” between the two countries.

The Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Igor Pavlovsky, admitted during a press briefing today that the Ukrainian armed forces are carrying out offensive operations in Donbass.

“Today, no matter what, meter by meter, step by step and seizing the opportunity, our boys are heroically moving forward,” Pavlovsky stated while commenting on the situation in Avdeevka.

However, the minister did not comment on questions concerning Ukraine’s observance of the Minsk Agreements, in particular the agreement on withdrawing heavy weapons from the contact line.

The Donbass militia and Ukrainian security forces have both declared that the situation in Donbass has deteriorated.

In the city of Avdeevka under Ukrainian control, where more than 30,000 people reside, a state of emergency has been declared due to shelling.

A “difficult situation” also prevails in militia-controlled Yasinovataya and Donetsk. The Ministry of Defense of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic has stated that the UAF has launched six offensive attempts over the last 24 hours, losing more than 90 men in the process.

The Kremlin believes that it is the Ukrainian side that has opted for active combat operations in the Avdeevka area.

Kiev celebrates Nazi hero ~ Kievans took to the streets on January 1st 2017, to celebrate Stepan Bandera’s birthday. On June 30, 1941 Bandera declared the formation of the Ukrainian State in Lviv. After the war, the Bandera group formed their Government in Exile, which was given quiet legitimacy by both the US and Canadian governments shortly after WW2.See declasified CIA documents by following this link

Donbass: kids send letters to the soldiers in the frontline ~ As the independent Donbass region of the south-Ukraine celebrated New Year’s Eve, still under heavy U.S.-funded shelling by the Ukrainian army, they found the time to address the people of the United States. Their words may be bittersweet, but it’s imperative for the average U.S. citizen to know about the actions of their criminal government abroad, as well as the undying spirits of the people whom it affects.

We ThanksInessa Sinchougovafor these Special Reports and Translations from the Russian language.

“In the helicopter at the moment of its sortie were military instructors from NATO countries”, Basurin said.

According to DPR intelligence, the helicopter crash landed in the area surrounding Krasngotovka.

Yesterday, DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko stated that the UAF attempted to attack DPR positions under the cover of a military helicopter, which was shot down but managed to land.

According to paragraph seven of the Minsk Memorandum from September 19th, 2014, the use of combat aircraft and drones is prohibited along the entire contact line designated for the ceasefire with the exception of OSCE SMM UAV’s.

Representative of the DPR Defence Ministry general-mayor Denis Sinenkov reported that DPR Intelligence intercepted documents, according to them is known that Ukrainian side prepares terroristic operation in Yasinovataya, and they want to accuse of this DPR.

Sinenkov pointed out that provocation of UAF (Ukrainian Armed Forces) will be the reason to activate military actions, and he stated that measures to prevent it were taken.

At the same time, the shelling on the Kuibishevskiy district of Donetsk started in the night of the 28th May 2016, at 1am and lasted about 2 hours. The shelling carried out from Ukrainian positions in Peski.

Shells of 122 mm caliber destroyed houses of civilians in Donetsk. Two small children were in the damaged flat in time of the shelling. Fortunately, they did not get wounds. Despite populated flats, building of kindergarten was destroyed.

Also, Kiev’s snipers fired on Friday on a group of observers of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine and the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) of the ceasefire regime in Donbass that was accompanied by journalists of China’s Xinhua news agency and Russian TV channels Zvezda and RT, the Defense Ministry of Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) whose officers were also at the site reported.

According to the local militia, the shelling was carried out with the use of 120-mm mortars that were banned under the Minsk agreements of February 2015 and were to be withdrawn from the contact line.

Besides the mortars with the caliber of 120 mm, fire was opened at the Kalinovka village from the direction of the Luganskoye village from infantry combat vehicle, automatic mounted grenade launcher and large-caliber machine gun.

“Our brother are there,” Khalid said when he heard I was going to Ukraine.
“Buy a local SIM card when you get there, send me the number and then wait for someone to call you.”

Khalid, who uses a pseudonym, leads the Islamic State’s underground branch in Istanbul. He came from Syria to help control the flood of volunteers arriving in Turkey from all over the world, wanting to join the global jihad. Now, he wanted to put me in touch with Ruslan, a “brother” fighting with Muslims in Ukraine.

The “brothers” are members of ISIS and other underground Islamic organizations…

At the same time, subdivision of Turkish mercenaries from the movement Grey Wolves arrived to Lugansk Schastie. Turkish mercenaries and fighters of Daesh are being brought from Syria to Ukrainian Herson. The amount of Turkish fighters in Ukraine is now over 700 people.

After several weeks of apparent troop withdrawals and drawdowns, there are once again ominous military developments in Ukraine which might herald either preparations for a renewed saber-rattling to draw attention back to Ukraine following the Paris terror attacks which have led to the intensification of the Russian air campaign against ISIS and prompted the French president Hollande to seek to improve his country’s relations with Russia.

This situation gives Poroshenko a considerable incentive to attempt to escalate the conflict in order to prevent a Franco-Russian improvement in relations.

There are reports that Ukraine will ban males 45 years old and younger from leaving Ukraine starting in January 1, 2016 in preparation for the 7th wave of mobilization.

Yesteday, clashes with usage of small arms and mortars continued at Peski and Donetsk Airport. The capital of DPR came under Ukrainian artillery fire. Then, Kiev’s side advanced at Gorlovka in the sector of Novogorodskoe-Shirokaya Balka. Ukrainian military shell the town from the direction of Dzerjinsk.

Kiev forces have been shelling Donetsk and other settlements of DPR and LPR. Kiev side uses all kind of artillery systems and military rocket launchers.

Gorlovka, Makeevka, Sahakna, Kominternovo, Panteleimonovka, Yujnaya Lomatovka, Staromihailovka and Donetsk came under fire of pro-Kiev forces. According to reports, from 3 to 5 locals were killed and injured.

Local partisans have destroyed an Ukrainian military column around Mariupol. The column was moving to the sector of Shirokino and Telmanovo when partisans attacked it. Pro-Kiev forces lost 18 militants injured and a few of killed. 1 Ukrainian APC and a few of Humvees were reportedly destroyed.

The fighters of DPR battalion “Viking” destroyed an Ukrainian battery of MLRS at Belaya Kamenka. 5 units of MLRS Grad and their military personnel were desroyed.

(ENG) ~ The Russian analyst Ishenko rejects accusations that Putin is selling the Donbas, while instead he is driving a forward-looking game.
[These are the reasons why the Western powers would like Putin dead – SFP]

Hannibal brought Rome to the brink of defeat during the Second Punic War, but Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus the Elder (with his strategist Fabius Maximus Cunctator) destroyed Carthage’s armies and defeated Hannibal.

Hannibal brought Rome to the brink of defeat during the Second Punic War. Carthage’s army marched all over Italy as it if were its own backyard. However, in the end, Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus the Elder was able to move the theater of operations to Africa, destroy Carthage’s armies, defeat the invincible Hannibal, and establish peace on Rome’s terms.

The actual victor over Hannibal was not the brilliant tactician Scipio, but the profound strategist and outstanding politician Fabius Maximus Cunctator.

The clashes have been resumed in the sectors of Peski, Spartak, Avdeevka, Putilovka and Yasinovatskiy checkpoint. The intensity of clashes is high. DPR armed forces are holding positions and exercising counter-fire there.

An attempt of pro-Kiev militants to pent into Gorlovka was failed yesterday and they started hard artillery shelling against the town. As result of the shelling, a woman was killed and three civilians were wounded: a 15-years-old girl, 60-years-old man and woman. The shelling destroyed two residential houses and power supply in the town yet. Also three Novorossian warriors were killed and four wounded there.

Ukrainian forces have exercised an artillery strike against the settlement of Dzerjinsk in Novoazovsk district of DPR today’s morning. There are destroyed houses and causalities there. The fire was observed from the direction of Mariupol.

Ukrainian forces with support of battle tanks tried to advance on militia positions in Donetsk Airport. The clashes were going through to June 6. Ukrainian advance was stopped. Earlier, on June 4, in the sector of checkpoint 29, a group of pro-Kiev militants from battalion ‘Aidar’ came to a land mine. 2 militant were killed, 3 injured.

Ukrainian forces are preparing for the advance at Lugansk People’s Republic. They have been concentrating troops and military equipment in the sector of the river “Severskiy Donec”. The sector is an assumed foothold for the future advance.

Meanwhile, Kiev military are continuing to shell Gorlovka from the directions of Dzerjinsk and Mayorsk. The firefights are going in the sector of Maryinka around Donetsk. The main purpose of Kiev’s side there is to divide Petrovskiy and Kirovskiy districts from the Donetsk. The capital of DPR is under fire from Kiev-controlled Avdeevka.

The one more flash point of the frontline is Peski. There are sporadic firefights there. Kiev’s side uses battle tanks and mortars. At the south part of the frontline Ukrainian artillery systematically strikes the sector from Bezimennoe to Pavlopol.

Denis Pushilin stated that the management had decided to consider the DNI village Shirokino demilitarized zone.

The head of “Gazprom” Alexei Miller said that from July 1, at 10:00 Moscow time, gas supplies to Ukraine stopped

Ultranationalist Right Sector activists and other Ukrainian radicals rallied in the center of Kiev on Friday. They called for a renewed military offensive to retake rebellious regions in the country’s East and the revocation of the Minsk Agreements.

Along with Right Sector members, fighters from nationalist volunteer battalions such as “Aidar,” “Donbass,” “Tornado,” and “Azov” marched through the center of the Ukrainian capital.

Renowned Ukrainian-born pianist Valentina Lisitsa has held a concern in Donetsk, as she continues her strong opposition to Kiev’s military offensive in country’s east, even after her views cost her performances with Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

The American-EU disaster brought upon poor Ukraine as a pseudo attack on Russia is not working out as planned. And neither did the Minsk agreement, which has been turned into an instrument of torture for the endlessly suffering Donbass people. The West fiddles as Donbass burns, as does Syria, under the grotesque American justification of “pursuing our interests”.

When Donbass was targeted for destruction by the West and Kiev, some of the independent battalions were formed by emptying out prisons and giving them weapons, with promises of looting, raping to teach the evil Russians a lesson. These hoodlums would become the future warlords of the conquered land, which it seems the banksters still want to hold as collateral for the IMF loans or purchase at fire sale prices as the economy crashes, with George Soros a the head of the line.

“I am Kolomiets Alexander, major general of the army of Ukraine…00:35 -The people of Donbass asked for one thing: give us the Russian language! Give us the federalization as part of Ukraine! Was it necessary to send the armed forces to prevent this? To use all the guns to shell cities and villages, to kill people?”,
he told a news conference at the Donetsk News Agency. Many of his former fellow servicemen, too, were prepared to join the republics’ militias, he said.

Settlements Pervomaisk, Stahanov and Kirovsk have cut off water supply today because the infrastructure had been damaged by Ukrainian shellings. Movement of Ukrainian troops has been fixed in the sector of Topolinka today. Kiev’s side has been concentrating troops and military equipment there. Intelligence of DPR has been observing numerous facts of movement of Ukrainian military equipment and troops. 2 MLRS Grads of Kiev militants have moved from Kurdumovka to the sector of Shirokino.

It’s confirmed that 1 woman was killed in Donetsk. More than 500 citizens of People’s Republics of Donbass, including 70 children, have been killed since signing Minsk 2 deal.

The firefights are going in the settlements of Maryinka. Kiev militants exercised an attempt to go offensive in the sector of Shirokino last night, but didn’t get any success. Most of the settlement is controlled by forces of DPR.

Warriors of Donetsk People’s Republic have destroyed 4 Ukrainian artillery battery shelling Petrosvkiy district of Donetsk. Petrovskiy district was under hard artillery fire last night. At least 10 people were injured.

Pro-Kiev militants have been continuing attempts to capture positions of DPR forces at Donetsk Airport and settlement Avdeevka. Positions of DPR warriors and residential areas are under fire there.

A France Presse journalist Alexander Gayuk was wounded in shelling of the Donetsk suburb settlement Oktyabrskiy on Sunday. The journalist was taken to a local hospital.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intention to deploy air defense systems on the border with the self-proclaimed republic of Transdniestria clearly pursues the aim of dragging Russia into another regional conflict to which NATO might be a party

The war against DNR/LNR is blocking Ukraine from a self-destructive full-scale attack on Crimea or Russia for the benefit of the puppet-masters, explains Nikolai Starikov, author on geo-politics and international finance.

Ukrainian forces have been shelling settlements Maryinka, Trudovoe, Jilploshadka and Belaya Kamenka by battle-tansk and self-propelled artillery guns. The main sources of fire are positions Kiev militants at Krasnogorovka, route ‘Pervomaika’, state farm Shevchenko.

According to reports from Novorossian warriors, the situation is tense at the whole contact line with Ukrainian forces. Pro-Kiev militants have been using so-called ‘ceasefire’ to examine the defense of People’s Republics. 3 Novorossian warriors have been killed and 15 have been injured for last 24 hours. Kiev’s side has lost 7 militants killed, 10 injured, 1 destroyed battle-tank and 3 armored personnel carriers in attempts to advance at positions of People’s Republics warriors.

The sad – and scary – reality is that Russia has nobody to speak to any more. Literally. Not a single western leader is worth even speaking to. They are either deluded, or clueless, or spineless. Usually all of the above.

Think about it yourself: if you were Lavrov or Putin – whom would you chose to talk to in the West?

Ukrainian army has shelled Donetsk Airport and residential areas of Donetsk, Enakievo, Sokolniki and Gorlovka. Kiev’s forces have used battle tanks, heavy artillery and mortars.

Yesterday, Kiev militants tried to take control of high point around the town Gorlovka. The adance was stopped by Novorossian warriors, 12 Ukrainian militants were killed.

Kiev regime has been concentrating military equipment and troops in sector of Maryinka.

Hard artillery fire has been shelling in the settlement Starobashevo since 12:50 local time. Meanwhile, Oktyabrskiy and Tekstilshik districts of the city Donetsk were shelled. Citizens of Konstantinovka report that Ukrainian militants use self-propelled artillery guns and automatic grenade launchers.

In Maryinka Novorossian warriors have been executing anti-artilelry fire in order to stop advance of pro-Kiev militants and NATO military advisers. Ukrainian side has been using battle-tanks there. Crossroad on Krosnogorovka is still controlled by warriors of DPR.

WAR CRIMES ~ Ukrainian Army violated the ceasefire regime 37 times in the last 24 hours, the DPR Defense Ministry spokesperson Eduard Basurin told the Donetsk News Agency.

Over the past 24 hours, we’ve registered 37 instances of the ceasefire violation by the Ukrainian side. They fired twice from tanks, three times from APCs, 17 times with mortar-guns, twice with anti-aircraft guns, and 13 times with grenade launchers and small arms.

On May 22 at 13.00 from the Kambrod district of the city of Lugansk the police received a report from local residents that there was a suspicious group of armed men in camouflage calling themselves militias. Because the unknown were asking about the location of military bases, the townspeople became suspicious.

On May 23 at 17.40 on the territory of Donetsk region between checkpoints “Gorlovka” (under the control of DPR militia) and “Mayorsk” (held by the armed forces of Ukraine) the car of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (SCCC) was fired on from automatic small arms. In the car was a head of the Russian office at SCCC, Colonel-General Alexander Lentsov, and the accompanying officers. The group was returning from the village of Shirokino, where there are continued clashes and shelling.

On the same day at 18.50 near the village of Mikhailovka on a land mine (according to other sources — an anti-personnel mine MON-50) a convoy of three cars was blown up and then shot at with machine guns. In one of them was the popular commander of the “Ghost” battalion of LPR army, Alexey Mozgovoy. The battalion commander was killed, along with six people accompanying him.

NOTICE TO READERS

These infos are not intended to be shocking or to glorify violence in any way. These articles/images/videos are for educational purposes only, for documenting and try to explain the backdrop of a historical ruthless and bloody war, whose characteristics and details are routinely distorted and smothered by the dominant media.